Archive of articles - September 2009, page 5
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Slovak Speaker of Parliament visits Belgian and European institutions
Slovak Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paska will visit Belgium and various EU institutions on September 22-23, Paška's spokesman, Jozef Plško, told the TASR newswire on September 21. During his visit, Paška will meet Speaker of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, European Commission Vice-Chair Jacques Barrot, President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives Patrick Dewael and Senator Hugo Vanderberghe. The agenda for Tuesday's meetings with representatives of European institutions will include the issue of misinterpretation of recent Slovak-Hungarian relations.
PM Fico welcomes US decision to drop European missile shield plans
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he welcomed the decision by the United States to halt its plans to build a European missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland. Speaking after an extraordinary session of the European Council in Brussels on the evening of September 17,Fico said he thinks that the decision will strengthen confidence in the region, the TASR newswire reported.
Slovakia’s Christian Democrats elect Ján Figeľ as new chair
Delegates to the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) convention that took place in Nitra on September 19 elected European Commissioner Ján Figeľ as their new chairman along with six vice-chairs. Mária Sabolová, Daniel Lipšic and Július Brocka kept their posts and the new vice-chairs are Jana Žitňanská, Anton Marcinčin and Ivan Uhliarik, the TASR newswire wrote. The party has decided that Sabolová will be responsible for the environment and infrastructure issues and Lipšic will deal with interior and justice matters. Brocka will concentrate on social policy, family issues and regional development and Uhliarik will be responsible for healthcare and consumer protection. Zitnanska will focus on culture and a civil- and knowledge-based society and Marcinčin will deal with the economy, agriculture and finance.
Slovak Foreign Minister Lajčák to address UN session
Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák left for Washington, D.C. on Sunday, September 20, to take part in talks with officials linked to U.S. foreign policy, the ministry’s spokesman Peter Stano told the TASR newswire. Lajčák will conclude his visit to the US by delivering a speech at the United Nations (UN) plenary session in New York on September 22. "On Monday, the Slovak Minister will meet Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden, as well as Zbigniew Brzezinski, former United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter between 1977-81," said Stano, adding that Lajčák will also take part in roundtable discussions concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina during which he will share his experiences as the High Representative of the International Community for Bosnia and Herzegovina with representatives of the U.S. administration. Stano said that Lajčák will hold several sets of bilateral talks with his counterparts in New York on Tuesday, ending his trip with the speech at the UN.
SNS collects 15,000 signatures for its Language Act petition
The Slovak National Party (SNS) has collected almost 16,000 signatures for its petition in support of the State Language Act, said SNS leader Ján Slota in Tvrdošín on Friday, September 18, the TASR newswire reported.
First renovated Calvary chapel opened to the public
IN MANY towns across central Europe there used to be Calvaries – symbolic Ways of the Cross – on a nearby hill, usually with seven chapels, each representing one stop on Christ’s way to the cross, and at least one church. Calvaries are usually connected with the Jesuit order and are meant to help believers feel how Christ felt during his journey to the site of his execution.
Foreign investment expected to shrink
p>THE INFLUX of foreign direct investment (FDI), which in the past has created favourable conditions for the growth of Slovakia's economic potential, will significantly decrease in 2009. The volume of FDI flowing to Slovakia is expected to drop from USD2.2 billion last year to around USD800 million this year, a decrease of more than 63 percent.
Čaplovič sacks more SNS nominees
ACTING Environment Minister Dušan Čaplovič dismissed the director general of the state-run company Vodohospodárska Výstavba Bratislava (VVB), Roman Straka, on September 11, because of his inactivity regarding the company Xiland, the SITA newswire reported.
Still with us, after all these years
POLITICIANS with a dubious ruling style rarely change. Though they often have the capacity to metamorphose into some form that might better guarantee access to power, this does not mean that the way they will not promptly readopt their former methods – let’s say, of a decade ago – if the climate in society allows them to do so.
Canadians seek Slovak passports
SLOVAKIA’s EU membership has inspired some Canadians with Slovak origins to obtain Slovak citizenship. Canada, like Slovakia, recognises double citizenship, and Canadians with both passports can travel freely within the whole European Union, the Hospodárske Noviny business daily wrote.
Fifteen judges sound loud warning
FIFTEEN senior Slovak judges have spoken out, voicing concern about the state of the Slovak judiciary. Prompted by what they call the intimidation and harassment of judges who become ‘inconvenient’ for those at the top of the judiciary, the 15 wrote an open letter to the country’s president, prime minister and speaker of parliament.
Mečiar wins €49,500 in damages
THE LEADER of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) Vladimír Mečiar won a legal case against the publisher of the Plus 7 Dní weekly, the 7 Plus company. The Regional Court in Bratislava ruled on September 16 that the publisher should pay €49,500 to Mečiar, due to the article possibly having been disrespectful towards Mečiar and “damaging his honour, dignity and reputation”, the TASR newswire reported.
Tapping the economic potential of Slovaks abroad
SLOVAKS living abroad can serve as a link between their new homelands and Slovakia. It is estimated that more than 2 million people who claim to be of Slovak descent live abroad. Although this number has not been verified and a large number of the emigrants are employed in their respective countries, there is still potential for the promotion of Slovakia abroad.
Foreign trade surplus surprises
SLOVAKIA’S latest foreign trade figures have surprised the markets, with the Statistics Office reporting a trade surplus of €49.4 million for July. Market watchers had been expecting red numbers: the office had previously reported a deficit of €6.3 million in June, after four months of surpluses. Nevertheless, both imports and exports continued falling year-on-year in July.
Two sides of one bridge
A FORD used to exist near what is today the southern Slovak town of Komárno, which could easily be crossed even by a fair-sized army. However, it soon became insufficient for the growing traffic and a foot ferry system was therefore introduced to span the river Danube. Small boats were shuttling to and fro on the river until the turn of the 19th century. Then, in 1892, the first “solid” bridge was erected over the Danube and named after the then-king’s wife, Elisabeth.
Summer school of journalism
AS IN PREVIOUS years, the Office of Slovaks Living Abroad (ÚSZZ) has prepared, in cooperation with the School of Journalism at Comenius University’s Faculty of Philosophy, the Summer School of Journalism for young Slovaks living abroad and working as journalists. The one-week course, attended by journalists from Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Ukraine and Sweden, took place between August 9 and 15.
Local Bank with a French Background:
In order to be successful on newmarkets, an international company needs to provide the same level of qualityservices abroad as they would at home. In Slovakia, such services are providedby Komerční banka Bratislava (KB Bratislava) which focuses on medium to large sized enterprises, offering a selected range of products and services by the French financial group Société Générale.
Emergency service tender questioned
THE ASSOCIATION of Emergency Service Providers called on the Health Minister Richard Raši to cancel the first round of the tender for the providers of emergency services and issue a new tender; otherwise they intend to sue the ministry.
Roma offered money to leave
A KOŠICE-BASED housing company offered Roma families from the infamous Luník IX suburb the price of their tickets to Great Britain or Belgium if they moved out of their flats, the Sme daily reported on September 12.
Armoured train in steam engine competition
HISTORICAL trains and engines are popular in Slovakia, and their exhibitions and competitions have a proud tradition. The 11th year of one steam engine competition, Grand Prix 2009, was recently held in Zvolen. Five steam engines from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia took part in seven disciplines. As Monika Schmidtová, PR manager for ZSSK Cargo, Slovakia’s main rail cargo company, told the TASR newswire, “The disciplines included, for example, the sprint, ‘lady on the rails’, or ‘beer on the con rod’ – in which the engines were supposed to drive as fast as possible without knocking over a beer positioned on the edge of the rails.”
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- UK appoints Bilal Zahid as new ambassador to Slovakia
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
